Legacy
by Forte the Dragon
Summary: AD:Jake Long? crossover. Read to find out what of. Set at a time period with Jake as 18. Update The Final Act!
1. Bitter Remembrance

1Legacy

Summary: A crossover fic of American Dragon: Jake Long, and something else I intend to keep a secret, for the enjoyment of the readers. This takes place years after "Ski Trip" except for the beginning of the prologue, and this fic is serious for the most part. And PLEASE do not ask me where this idea came from, I've got NO idea...

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything mentioned in the story. As far as I can tell though, the new interpretation of the characters and events that have crossed over into this are unique, and technically mine, though they still very much echo the original events.

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Prologue: Bitter Remembrance

It was a cold, bitter winter in a remote country in Eastern Europe as a man wearing very little fur cover for the bitter cold fled into the forest. The snow continued to drift down, regardless of the events about to transpire. This man held his only son close to him, a youth barely of four years of age, trying to escape from the hounds, and the men after him. He asked a friend to meet him further ahead, to take his son to safety, so that the soldiers would not take his life as well. Night was fast approaching, and the hounds were not far behind him. He soon burst from the sea of lifeless trees, meeting with his friend, covered in much fur, at the foot of a mountain path, covered in snow. He stopped, and removed his only fur covering, his only protection from the cold, wrapping it around his only family left in the world.

"Take my son and watch after him. The noble's men seek to end my life, not yours. He is safer in your hands."

"I will watch over him, I promise this. But please, let me lend you some of my fur, you'll catch your death in this-"

They were interrupted by the firing of a rifle, and the howls of the dogs. They both fled up the mountain path, seeking sanctuary, as the snow fell faster, a blizzard coming. The chase led them up and across the mountain, as the sky became black, little to guide them.

"If only your dear Cynthia remained with us. She could easily calm the ravages of nature to guide us to safety."

"This is not a time to dwell on the past. We must press on!"

As they ran further, the father fell to his knees, breathing labored. The cold was claiming another life, and they was aware of this.

"Please, you must-"

"Go! Watch over my son, and protect...pro...tect...urggh..."

"Father!"

The man fell to the ground, the warmth fleeing his body. He was going to die here, and both men knew there was no hope left for him. His friend gave him a solemn nod, to acknowledge he would fulfill his final request, before fleeing into the night, holding a sobbing young boy, wrapped in fur. It was not long, before the hounds arrived, bringing their masters.

"We can tell the Lord we have found Werner. He is dead."

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A well-dressed young man with brown hair and eyes, nearing his 19th year, stood quietly at the bow of a large cargo ship, facing the ship's destination, yet not seeing, his mind traveling back to thoughts of the past. Shortly, an elderly man of thinning gray hair and blue eyes, equally well-dressed, walked up behind him.

"Victor? Are you well?"

Victor looked back to him, and smiled.

"Oh, yes, I am. Thank you for asking Boris."

"It was nothing Victor, no need to thank me."

Victor then looked back to the land, as they saw the Statue of Liberty ahead.

"That is the United States' Statue of Liberty? A magnificent sight, isn't it?" Boris asked.

"That it is, though the people of this country don't seem to respect it as they should. It's true name is 'Liberty Enlightening The World'."

"Very sharp of you sir."

"Thank you, Boris."

Victor then looked to the sky, and upon seeing something, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hmmm..."

"Something wrong Victor?"

"...I suppose it's nothing. Let's check on our cargo. I don't want our things damaged before we arrive at the Empire University."

Victor then turned away from the landscape, and headed to check on his things inside, Boris following him. What Victor had seen were flashes and shadows on top of the Statue of Liberty, caused by a battle going on...

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"Yo! Watch the tail! Watch the tail!"

On top of the statue, Jake and his grandfather were fighting against the Huntsclan leader, and his right hand man...er...woman. They'd attacked the shop, and taken the Orb of Malorphis. That alone was bad, but the fact they knew where to attack...

"Hiii-yaah!"

Jake was currently fending off the female ninja. There wasn't really a better way to describe the Huntsclan footmen then as ninjas. She tried to use a jumping kick to hit his head, which he blocked, and smirked at.

"Miss me?"

"No."

She then flipped over, using her over foot to smack Jake in the side of the head, making him let go, and rub the side of his face.

"Ow! Come on baby, no need to be rough."

"How many times do I have to tell you to quit hitting on me?" She yelled, pouncing at him.

"When you quit hitting on me." Jake retorted, leaping up out of the way.

The ninja went wide-eyed, as she nearly dove straight off the statue, hanging onto one of the spikes of the crown. Jake yelped, and dove over to pull her back onto the statue.

"That's twice now you've saved my life. I'm beginning to wonder if you really are hitting on me."

"Hey, I'm no murderer, yo."

"Gaaaahh!"

Jake then looked back to see his grandfather get blasted by a beam from the Huntsclan leader's staff.

"Hey! Back off!" Jake yelled.

"We're leaving." The Huntsman stated.

"But-"

"Our client would be disappointed if this battle took it's toll on the orb." He told her, holding it up.

"Fine." The ninja agreed, leaping over.

"Hey!" Jake yelled.

Too late, as the Huntsman used his staff to warp them away. Jake and his grandfather returned to human forms. Jake was now 18, and still in his usual outfit, though larger for his body now.

"Awww man..."

It didn't help Jake's mood about losing any that he knew who the female ninja was. The only person he ever had any sense of a lasting crush on. Rose...

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I have plans with this story, so you'll have to wait and see what happens. And those of you who can guess the crossover, or that I told, please don't spoil it.


	2. Arrogance

1Yep. They're still at it, and they still don't know Jake's identity. Though they're getting close...

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Chapter 1: Arrogance

Jake muttered to himself in the silence of the shop, as he was trying to clean it up after the mess caused by the attack on it. His grandfather was also helping, but Fu Dog had been out to go to a unicorn race. The more Jake thought about it, the more the magical side of the world seemed to be so very different, yet exactly the same from the life he's known before finding out he was a dragon.

"So, ah, Gramps, any idea how the Huntsclan knew to bust in here?" He asked, while mopping up a spilled potion mess.

"I am not entirely sure Jake. Perhaps they have been following the energies given off by the Orb of Malorphis. It has been reacting oddly as of late...hmmm..."

Jake then watched as Grampa went to check on a scroll. Probably to find out why the orb was giving off more and more dark magic all of a sudden. Jake grumbled, and returned to mopping.

'Wonder how Haley is doing...'

About a year ago, the Dragon Council had agreed that, although Jake's training was going smoothly and well, they didn't want to over-do it with dragons training relatives. Jake only managed to be allowed this by some persistence on his grandfather's part. Haley, though, was to be trained by a different dragon. She had been sent to a preparatory school for young women as a reason for her being there.

"Hey, guess who won-whoaly cripes! What happened?"

Fu Dog had returned through the back door, and met with a disaster area.

"Yo, the Huntsclan came in and decided to have a party, know what I'm saying?"

"Ewwww...I think I stepped in frog juice!"

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Outside the front of the shop, someone had a hand-held device with a screen aimed to the shop, with a green line on the screen spiking wildly. We can see that it is Victor again, currently looking curious.

"It was in there all right. But it's not now. This might explain the repair signs..."

The device then rang once, before Victor pushed a button on it. Boris' face came onto the screen.

"Yes Boris?"

"Sir, the faculty of the University are curious as to where you are."

"Tell them I'm taking in the sights. Apparently I'll have to. The trail went cold."

"Yes sir."

The screen then went black, and Victor put the device in his pocket, before heading to the door of the shop, and knocking. Inside, Jake was confused.

'What's a customer doing here with all the repair signs?'

Jake went over to the door and answered it.

"Yo, G, I hope you noticed that we've got a couple of things to fix up right now."

Victor narrowed his eyes slightly. He positively detested people that talk in such a manner.

"I'm aware. I want to inquire when the store will be accessible again." Victor answered, with a tone of superiority in his voice.

"Not sure yet. Check back tomorrow, k?"

Victor turned and left without a word, leaving Jake there.

"Man, what a cocky jerk." He muttered as he shut the door.

"Jake, aren't you supposed to be attending your college classes now?" Grampa asked.

"Ahhh! You're right! Crud! Be back to help!" Jake yelped, rushing around to get his bag and supplies, before running off to get to his classes, running past Victor on the way.

"Hmmm...what has him in a hurry?" Victor asked himself.

Victor was interrupted in thought by his phone device ringing again. He answered it again, Boris calling back.

"I'm sorry Victor, but they insist on your presence."

"I should have reasoned as much. They would want their poster boy to attend the discussion on M Theory, wouldn't they? The cons of a formal invitation...I'll be right there."

Victor then hung up, and also hurried.

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Jake was panting in his seat. Even flying over to the university was a long trip. He barely made it in time, but he was exhausted. And somewhat damp. It had started to rain on the way, and he didn't have time to completely dry off with his fire.

"Phew...long...long...way..."

He also had NO idea why he was even at the M Theory discussion. That is, until he saw her. Rose was still as beautiful as ever, and also something of an over-achiever.

'Ahh yeah, now I remember.'

Despite knowing Rose was the Huntsgirl, he never could get over his crush. He never knew why.

"Now then, if everyone is present, let's get started with-"

The lecturer was interrupted by the door, as Victor walked in, wearing a long, dark green raincoat with a hood, that was dripping wet.

"You're late Victor..."

Victor grumbled, removing the raincoat, and hanging it on a coat rack.

"Pardon my tardiness, the rain delayed my return." Victor replied, as he headed to an available seat.

'Awww man, not that guy again...' Jake thought to himself.

"Now then, is anyone here familiar with M Theory?" the lecturer asked.

Only a couple of people present had their hands raised. Rose was among them, but neither Jake or Victor did. Victor looked bored with the whole affair.

"Let's see...since Victor came in late, let's see if he knows about M Theory."

"Bah, this is beneath me..." he muttered.

Victor then stood to speak.

"M Theory is...?" the lecturer asked.

"M Theory is the current theory of explaining the universe, which describes the plane of existing as a membrane, which creates a new universe upon each time the membrane makes contact with another portion of itself. M Theory allows for the possibility of an infinite number of parallel universes to exist, each capable of vastly different rules of physics, and is also used to explain why Gravity is the weakest fundamental force that science is aware of, stating that Gravity itself in our world is in truth an overflow of the actual force. M Theory's origin can be credited to the String Theory of the universe, after it's addition of factoring 11 dimensions into the theory rather than 10."

Jake blinked. The lecturer was surprised.

"Er...well...that is...correct.."

"Uh...that makes no sense whatsoever. You eat Brain Bits for breakfast or something?" he asked.

Victor looked to Jake, and narrowed his eyes again.

"To put it in terms easier for you to understand, the main universe could be considered to have the form of a cell. With each new universe it spawns, it splits, until the main universe's form is that of a complete living being such as a man, while universes like what we occupy would be little more than cells in comparison. But even this comparison is flawed, as it does not allow for the explanation of the infinitum number of worlds." Victor told him, again with a sense of superiority.

Jake's head was spinning from this. It made sense, but it was confusing too. And he looked like he was the same age as Jake. His head cleared though, when he noticed Rose looking at him.

'No way! He is NOT getting Rose!'

Victor then sat down. The lecturer seemed a little anxious.

"Er...well...since Victor summed up M Theory so well, I seem to be having difficulty determining what to discuss about it." the professor stated.

"Then allow me to provide such a topic. Does it not seem rather hypocritical for science to accept M Theory?" Victor asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that with M Theory, it allows for an infinite number of universes to exist within one space, each capable of radically different laws of physics. With this basis to start in for thought, one could easily assume that this means there are an infinite number of universes that break our laws of physics in the process, as well as harboring life forms that we, as logical thinking beings, have denied the existence of. To accept M Theory is also to deny everything that we have learned in the grand scale."

"..Well...that is true on the grand scale, but everything we have learned applies to our universe, which is where it should remain applied."

"I still find M Theory to be a paradox of science, and little more than absurd, on the grounds that M Theory's infinity of universes means there is an infinitely good and equally bad chance of everything. It also would destroy one's sense of self, as with it, no one is unique." Victor stated, taking his seat.

'Boy, he's even worse than I thought...' Jake reasoned, 'Trixie would've chewed him out for being so big-headed if she were here.'

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Jake was still thinking over his classes as he left the campus. The rain had stopped luckily, but he still was a bit annoyed.

"Jake!"

Jake looked up to see Rose heading over.

"Hey Rose, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you had plans this Friday."

"Me? Aside from hangin' with Spud and Trixie, no."

"Then I was wondering if, maybe, we could go out?"

"Really? Wow. I'd like that, b-" Jake started, intending to politely turn her down.

"Great! I'll see you at 5 Friday at your place! Gotta run!" She said, heading off.

"Er, yeah, see ya.." He said, waving to her.

He watched her leave, then groaned. There was a good reason he was usually beating around dates. Aside from the fact they kept getting interrupted by "family business", Jake wasn't sure he could keep it up. He didn't want to end up like Mr. and Mrs. Smith did in the movie, against each other due to duties. True, he could do like his mother has. She's STILL never gotten to telling his father about the dragon stuff. But he didn't want to deceive Rose if he was going to be steady with her.

"Wonder if Spud's still on duty at the Dairy King..." he asked himself, taking out his skateboard, which was damaged a little with time, and headed off.

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Victor seems to have an agenda of his own...and is Spud still on duty? Find out next update.


	3. A King's Treasure

1Nope. Can't tell the crossover yet. If I did it'd ruin the surprise. But one hint, since I also gave that hint to a friend. It HAS been a cartoon on at least two occasions, but neither cartoon lasted long. But I did alter the crossover to fit into context of Jake Long. If I hadn't, it might've been easy to guess. And I'm glad to hear it's the most mature you've read. It's what I was gunning for on some level.

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Chapter 2: King's Treasure

Jake stopped by the Dairy King on his way back to the shop to see Spud. He wasn't in though, because he was fired for disturbing the customers, i.e., talking to the shake machine. Spud keeping a job was like using oil to clean a floor. It just didn't work..

"Seems Spud's still a little odd, but hey, no one's perfect." Jake said to himself, as he went into the shop.

Inside, the shop was looking much better. Likely some sort of magic was used to speed things up. Jake figured they didn't use it when he was there so he'd still be responsible enough to clean up his room the hard way. Just because he fooled around with the shape-shifting spell the one time...

"Yo Jake, you mind getting the paper here? Gramps and I are trying to get me out of a hole in the floor." Fu Dog stated.

That would explain why Jake could see his grandfather's tail in the next room. He went out and picked it up, removing the plastic wrap, and for kicks read the headline. He ended up wishing he hadn't.

"Let's see...'European Royalty Attending Empire University.' Geez, sounds like a tabloid. Then again, they do occasionally get my good side." Jake joked, before seeing the photo, which was of Victor.

"WHAT! NO WAY! HE'S THE ROYALTY! WHAT 'DOESN'T' HE HAVE!"

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"The Orb of Malorphis. It's what I have left to obtain for my experiment, Boris, and I have no idea where to look for it."

Victor was currently within a large, dark, and cluttered room within the confines of an unknown building. Boris was currently with him, as Victor slammed his fist onto the frame of a large, metallic framework.

"I need to get it before tomorrow night. According to my mother's books, the orb's power will peak to it's strongest then, and I need it at it's most powerful for this to work. My calculations hinge on it, and I can't wait another 50 years for a chance like this."

"Victor, you did say you had tracked the magic within it to that store, did you not?"

"I had, but the store appeared to have been ransacked, and the tracker didn't locate the source of the trail. It's not there, and I don't have long enough to scour the city. There's no telling if it's even still here! Damn it!" Victor yelled, again slamming his fist into the machine.

Boris walked off, and returned with some ice, and bandages for Victor, treating his hand for the damage inflicted to it in anger.

"Victor, even with this set-back, I can assure you your parents would be proud of you for all you have managed to achieve in a lifetime. You have become king of our country. You can change the land, to-"

"That isn't good enough anymore..."

Victor then walked over to something with a white sheet draped over it.

"You know as well as I how life has unfairly taken the lives of our people, our families."

Victor was looking downward, before he looked up, and turned to face Boris.

"You and I are the last of our culture now, and I am the last of my family in this world. Was it not fair then, to take control of the country, after it robbed me of my hope for the future? Of my guiding light in the world?"

Boris remained silent, taking in Victor's words. Victor turned back to the sheet, and pulled it off, revealing a machine, human in design and shape, but still recognized as an ugly automaton.

"Science and magic have become my last refuge, and my means of taking control of the kingdom. To achieve the ends now, I once again turn to this means." Victor stated, before he reached for the robot...

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Jake and Grampa were both in dragon form, tugging on Fu Dog. If Fu Dog weren't such a fatty, he wouldn't have even gotten stuck, but they couldn't change that. With a final pull, they popped him out of the hole, and reverted to human form.

"Phew, finally! Fu Dog, you need to go on a diet!" said Jake.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't even JOKE with that word kid."

"Now that we have freed him, back to important matters. I have found in my scrolls that the orb's power ebbs and flows, much like the waves of the ocean."

Jake thought for a second.

"So it gets stronger and weaker? And it was stronger now?"

"Exactly. It takes precisely 50 years for it to complete one cycle of this flow, meaning that whoever intends to use it now would have to do so before tomorrow night."

"All right, I got ya, so um, how do we find it?"

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The warehouse at the dockyards was currently busy, with the activities of the Huntsclan. Several people inside were preparing materials like parts of unicorns for shipment to other parts of the world. The Huntsman was currently watching over the processing, the Huntsgirl checking over the guarding of the orb. All was not quiet, however, as soon, the door into the warehouse was ripped from it's hinges. The Huntsclan stopped their jobs and looked to the door, weapons ready, as two figures, garbed in green raincoats walked into the warehouse, their hoods up, shadowing their faces.

"Hold it right there, both of you." The Huntsman ordered, aiming his staff at them.

"You have something that belongs to me.." the lead one said, removing his hood, it being Victor.

"..I know that man..." the Huntsgirl muttered.

"I spent hours fixing my tracker to find the Orb, and I don't intend for them to go to waste.."

"You will have to, since I already have a client for the orb." The Huntsman stated, staff glowing.

"Perhaps you should know that I can be very...persuasive." Victor told them, holding up his left hand, and pushing a button on a remote control in it.

The clan then noticed the other figure's eyes flash red, it raising it's head so the shadows faded, revealing a face of armored metals.

"Do what you must, but I want the orb intact." Victor spoke, turning and walking off into the night.

The robot then nodded in silence, and laughed evilly, before running out of the way of the weapons fire of the clan.

"What IS that thing?"

"Kill him!"

The robot ran right past them all, moving too fast for them to successfully attack it. It then turned to face then, and held it's armored hands out to them, unleashing brilliant flashes of light to blind them all.

"My eyes!" the Huntsgirl shouted, covering them.

When their sight returned, all was silent. The intruder was gone, and so was the orb.

"Damn that pompous..." The Huntsman started.

"I know who it was." Huntsgirl told him.

"Good, then we can attack and get the orb back immed-"

He was cut off by the sound of police sirens.

"He actually went and did it! He must have sent for the police to delay us!" The Huntsman yelled, furious, "Get those beacons on everything! We have to leave here now!"

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Jake was just closing the shop to head home, when he felt like something was wrong. That was when the door opened. Jake turned to look, and saw a green garbed figure, hood hiding their face.

"Uh, Yo G, we're just closing."

"I came to give a message."

Jake recognized the voice. It was Victor. He was getting really sick of how he was getting mixed into his life. He'd rather do without Victor.

"What message?"

"The Orb of Malorphis is mine. I will return it to your possession, when I am done with it."

Victor then left. Jake growled.

"Oh he did NOT just get into my dragon life too!"

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Yes, Victor is a masterful scientist. Yes, he's also aware of magical being. And yes, this is getting to the good part.


	4. To Challenge the Sun

I will reveal the crossover at the end of this chapter. Then it will become clear as day. And yes, I know I'm going to catch hell from every single obsessed fan of Victor's for altering him and his past to fit the fic, and I assure you he has them where he's truly from, but I could NOT get this warped idea out of my head, and it sounded FAR too good to let die.

No, this isn't going to just curl up and die like that Jurassic park idea, that I chalk up to lack of sleep, too much sugar, and temporary insanity.

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Chapter 3: To Challenge the Sun

Jake felt miserable, and very ticked off at the moment, since it was raining again. He told his grandfather the message, and now they were both in dragon form, flying high over the city, to find Victor. Fu Dog had to remain behind this time to close the shop up for them. Besides that he argued they wouldn't want to put up with wet dog fur.

"I can't believe that guy would-" Jake muttered.

"Jake, if something is troubling you, perhaps it would be best to put it out of your mind for now."

"I can't help it. That's three times I've met the guy and he's got himself tangled up in both my human AND my dragon life. And I HATE him! He acts like everyone's some sort of idiot!" Jake snapped, a bit annoyed by Victor.

"Kings do tend to be a bit arrogant, Jake." Grampa replied, flying ahead.

"True that...WHA?"

Jake stopped, and hovered there.

"KING? Geez! He's got whatever he wants and he wants to screw up my life? Oh for-"

"There is more to it than simple distaste of his character, isn't there?"

"What? No way G, he's just a pain in the butt."

His grandfather simply turned back to looking for Victor. Jake grumbled, following, not quite ready to let his grandfather know the real reason. Jake felt Victor was trying to impress everyone the other day at the lecture, including Rose...

'...maybe I'm just making a big deal out of it. And besides, it's not like I stand much chance with Rose a.k.a. Huntsgirl if she ever finds out...'

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Rose was currently muttering obscenities to herself, while watching the building in front of her with binoculars, making the night into a pale green view. She would normally never even **_think _**of using a swear word as Rose, but it was just another part of her deception as Huntsgirl. Returning her thoughts to her duties, she was perched on a cargo distribution building on one of the many dockyards in the city, looking to a warehouse that had been leased to Victor earlier in the week according to the Huntsclan's sources. However, something in the building was disrupting the limited scanning devices in her binoculars, making them give erratic readings.

"He must have the orb in there...he has that place shielded from tracking gear...yet-"

She stopped when something landed on the roof behind her, and spun around, aiming her staff at it.

"What are YOU doing here?" her voice said in tandem with that of the one behind her.

"Getting the Orb back!" Jake and Huntsgirl responded, again at the same time.

"Back off, dragon! Don't make me slay you." she shouted.

"I thought you were supposed to." Jake said with a smirk.

"I have more important things to do. The person that stole the orb-"

"Is a cocky king with a serious attitude problem and screwing around with your Huntsclan?"

"...that too." Huntsgirl muttered, keeping the staff aimed at Jake, "Let me guess, he stepped on your tail."

"If you want to fight, then let's go!"

Jake and Huntsgirl both took fighting positions, ready to attack each other. And for both of them, the fighting would do some good for venting anger and frustration. However, both were interrupted by what sounded like electrical surges from the warehouse. They both looked in confusion, to see that the lights in the area were flickering and dimming.

"What the heck is that?" Jake wondered, "Wha? Not even going to fight?"

Huntsgirl had used the distraction to break off from the fight, and head down to the ground, to find a way into the warehouse. Grampa landed behind Jake, before the lights started to surge and the light from them flickering between normal and a shade of purple.

"Oh dear..."

"Do you know something I should?" asked Jake.

"I believe it is something he should know more." was the reply.

Grampa then flew down to head into the warehouse. Jake blinked, and his jaw hung open, eye arched.

"Huh?"

He then followed, and went inside through the door. Inside was a large collection of scientific and magical equipment. It was pretty bizarre for Jake to see spell books next to things like beakers, wrenches, and welding equipment. But what got his attention was the large gate-like construction on the other end of the warehouse, with the Orb of Malorphis connected to it at the top of the frame, and the whole thing connected to the city's power by exposed power cables in the ground.

"Whoa...right out of a sci-fi movie.."

Grampa smacked his forehead over Jake just barging in like that, then followed in case he'd need the help. As for Huntsgirl, she had entered through the roof, and was perched on one of the rafter beams, watching. The three of them didn't wait long, as Victor stepped from behind the machine, still wearing his green raincoat, slick and shiny from water.

"I didn't expect an audience for this.."

"You can't just put the orb into machines like this! That magic could work it's way into the entire city that way like electricity!" Grampa yelled.

"Shut up! I've made my calculations for this, I know what I'm doing!" Victor shouted back, before turning to the machine, "What man wouldn't prepare for when they challenge the sun?"

"You trying to fight the sun? G, it's nighttime!" Jake asked.

Huntsgirl put her free hand on her forehead and sighed quietly at Jake's naivety in a situation like this.

"It's a figure of speech." Victor replied.

"Oh..."

"And even if your accusations of error in my work were true, I don't care. I have even reason in the world." Victor muttered, using a remote device to turn the machine on, before throwing the remote aside.

The machine roared to life, sparking wildly with dark purple arcs of energy, arcs which threatened to enter the power cables, as the gate-like area started to shimmer and glow.

"What reason could you have for threatening every life in the city?" Grampa demanded.

Victor turned to face them, furious, flinging his right hand down in a gesture of his rage.

"Shut up! You have no idea what I've been through! What fools like those in this city have done!"

Huntsgirl muttered about Victor being insane. The machine's glow started to ripple and grow into the opening in the center of the machine.

"It's because of people like them I'm alone in this world! Those superstitious, racist savages took my family, my entire culture from me! I never even got to hear my mother's voice! Because we were what you'd call gypsies, they hunted us down like wild animals, slaughtering us one by one! Because we knew how to tap into the mystic forces, they feared us, despised us! Sought our demise for whatever petty reason they could think of!" Victor shouted, in blind rage, eyes tearing up from the painful memories, "Because of them! Because of them, I had nothing! I was left alone in this world, because they hated us! They hated my mother, even though she tried to help them! And it's their fault I saw my father die, because they accused him of killing one of the noblewomen, when she was condemned due to illness he tried to cure!"

Jake, Grampa, and Huntsgirl were silent, knowing now they were dealing with more than a madman. Rather, he was a lost child, playing the part of a leader of men, to try to get what he wanted.

"I had every right to take their kingdom from them! I used my mother's spell books, and the sciences they were hesitant of, to tear their hierarchy apart and become their king!" Victor continued, pointing back to the machine, which now had a rippling white field inside it, it's light filling the warehouse, "And now...now I'm going to see my mother's face, for the first time in my life! To hear her voice, as I should have been allowed to! I challenge the sun, nay, the cosmos itself! I WILL SEE HER, AND NOTHING IN THIS WORLD WILL STOP ME!"

Grampa rushed at Victor to attack and try to stop the machine.

"This is madness! I can't allow you to put the lives of this whole city on the line for this!"

Victor yelled in rage, throwing his left hand forward at him, and from his hand, lightning struck the dragon down, throwing him into a table.

"Grampa!" Jake shouted, heading to him to see if he was alive.

Victor held up his left hand, showing off the fact he was wearing a metal gauntlet of some sort on it, which was sparking. His eyes were narrowed, and he scowled. Jake could tell his grandfather was badly hurt, having been forced back into human form, but thanks to being a dragon when he took the blast, he would live, though he'd be in no shape to brag about it.

"I told you. I won't allow anything to stop me now!"

"How about my foot!"

Victor was thrown back into the side of the gateway with great force, slamming into it, and damaging the machine, making the field spark and flicker. Jake was wide-eyed, seeing the whole thing. Huntsgirl had dropped down, and kicked Victor into the machine.

"I've saved both your lives now. We're even." She told them.

She then leapt up at the Orb, and tried to remove it from the machine. It tore loose, wires snapping off of it, and the field started to distort wildly. Victor got up, and screamed in anger, firing an electrical blast at her, which she dodged. Barely.

"You'll pay for this! All of you will pay!"

He then swept an electrical beam at them, Jake barely getting his grandfather out of the way, before he swooped down at Victor. Victor swung his left fist at Jake's head, which he barely dodged, and retaliated with a swing of his own left hand. Victor tried to evade this, but one of Jake's claws caught his face anyway.

"Argh! My face!"

Victor staggered back away from Jake, his gauntlet's spark dying out voluntarily, holding his face with both hands. The gateway then trembled, fissures forming in the floor.

"Dragon! Get out of here! You're mine to slay, not some lunatic's!" Huntsgirl shouted, fleeing through the door.

Jake began to wonder about Rose's intentions, before he flew for the door. He didn't get to see what happened to Victor, before the gateway exploded violently, shattering the entire warehouse, the force of the blast slamming Jake into a light pole, which snapped in half, and toppled over from the impact. A fierce fire began to blaze in the remains of the warehouse, burning countless books and supplies. Jake wasn't aware of this. The impact had forced him into human form, and everything was going black...

Divide

The next thing Jake knew, he was in the shop, on a couch, bandaged up, and feeling like hell.

"Owww...man..."

"Yo Jakie, you okay?"

Jake knew that voice. His head hurt, but he could still remember some things.

"Trixie? What are you doing...here? How'd I get here?"

"Fu Dog called me an' Spud and told us you were headin' out to the docks. When that explosion turned the place into the Fourth of July, we guessed you guys were there."

"Yeah dude, that was, like, cool! I swear I saw a kitty firework!"

Jake chuckled a bit, then winced. It hurt to laugh.

"Fu Dog gave ya both some sorta potion to help you both recover, but he said it ain't no miracle worker for injuries THAT bad. Gramps just needs sleep, but you need to watch it for a week or so." Trixie told Jake.

"Ugh..."

"Dude, come on, you were, like, Bendy Straw Man!" Spud added.

Jake only gave Trixie a confused look.

"What Spud means, is that you were nearly singin' in the choir with St. Peter! I don't even wanna try and remember how bad you were!"

"Wait, where's Huntsgirl? And Victor?" Jake asked, now concerned.

"You and Grampa were the only ones there when we got there." Spud told him.

"And the news is sayin' no body's been found in that mess, but I can't blame 'em. It's like findin' a needle in a haystack."

"No one was found...?" Jake wondered...

Divide

It was dark in the room, save for the flashes of light, of sparking metal, and the flickering on and off of a lightbulb to show us a forge. In this light, we can see Boris, holding a towel, standing next to a table with a washbowl. He is wearing goggles to protect his eyes from the light.

"Victor, you must rest. You were fortunate you survived such an ordeal."

Boris was met with silence, save for the sound of metal being forged and wrought into shape.

"Sir?"

"Boris, do you know what my family name translates into in English..?"

Boris was taken back by the question. It was an odd thing to ask.

"Yes I do."

Victor then stopped working the metal, and used his right hand to feel the wound on his face. It had left a long, thin scar upon his visage. He then held up his work, an ominous, metallic mask.

"That is what the world will know me as now. I am through, with trying to be a mere gentleman in the eyes of the masses..."

Boris watched as Victor put the mask upon his face, hearing a hissing sound, telling him the mask had not quite cooled...

"You don't mean-"

"Yes, I do...the world will know the name of Victor no more..."

He then turned to face Boris, and pulled up the emerald hood over his head, and looked to Boris. This was no longer the face of a mere man. Rather, this would be the face the entire world would come to fear...

"Now, they will know the wrath of Doom..."

Divide

Yes, I KNOW it's an odd crossover, but it's true. The crossover is of the Marvel Comics' own Fantastic Four. Only, to be specific, the only true crossover is that, of Dr. Doom.


	5. Doomsday

1Nah, I can't finish it just yet. It wouldn't be right.

Divide

Chapter 4: Doomsday

A couple days had passed since the warehouse fire. A police investigation had been held, but the fires had been too intense. Nothing had survived the fires. No evidence of the gate, no spell books, nothing. Nothing that had remained in the warehouse anyway, though Jake was still pretty badly hurt. He told his father he had a skating accident and some bad scrapes. His mother knew better, but then, she was in on his secret too. He'd been laying on the couch mostly today, still too sore to really do much. When the doorbell rang and he went to answer, the last thing he had on his mind was...

"Hi Jake."

"Rose! Ah, hi! Ow!"

Jake had jumped a bit in surprise seeing her, and this caused his shoulder to twinge in very sharp pain.

"Jake! Are you okay?" Rose asked, trying to help steady him.

"Who, me? Yeah, fine...ow...okay, I lied..."

"What happened?"

"Skating accident. No biggie."

"Are you sure, because I don't think we should go out if you aren't."

"Out?"

"Our date?"

Jake had completely forgotten about that. What with the crazy genius/king/smart alec thing.

"Oh, yeah, nearly forgot with this and all. Uh, yeah, I can handle it."

Divide

Jake and Rose had gone to a movie, followed by eating together at a diner. They were still at the diner to talk at the moment, facing each other.

"That was a good movie, don't you think?" Jake asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. So, Jake, what happened?"

"When?"

"The accident."

"Accid-oh, right, I guess I just got distracted."

"I see...wha?"

Jake had sat up, looking at something intently. Rose looked to see what it was, and started to ask what it was, but she saw it too. It was someone in a green raincoat, heading away from the diner. This wouldn't bother them, except that's also what Victor was partial to wearing...

"It couldn't be..." Jake muttered.

"Be who?" Rose asked.

"Er, some guy I saw earlier. I think he was in the theater with us."

"..You know, I think you're right."

They both went silent, and thinking, thoughts the same...

'Is Victor alive...does he know I'm...'

Divide

Normally, Jake would see Rose home after a date, and he did insist to, but Rose insisted more she see him home since he was still hurt. He decided not to argue further when his chest decided to join Rose's side of the argument. So there he was, walking home, with Rose with him.

"So...do you think that guy was following us?" Rose asked.

"What? Nah, no way, he's probably just bumming around."

"Yeah, you're probably right..."

Rose went silent, and was thinking as they walked.

'I hope so...I don't want that lunatic after me...'

Jake was also hoping it wasn't Victor. He remembered what he did to his grandfather. He also didn't think cattle prods came in designer form or could actually SHOOT electricity...

"Um...Jake?"

"Hmm?"

Rose pointed to the side. Jake looked. It was his home.

"Eh-heh-heh, my bad. So, see you later?"

"That sounds good. I'll let you plan when this time. I was kind of in a hurry the other day."

"Um, all right. I'll get back to you."

"All right. Good night Jake."

"G'night Rose."

Jake then went inside, as Rose walked off. He was heading back to the couch, when his mother stopped him.

"Oh, hi mom."

"Jake, I think your grandfather might want a hand around the shop. You seem well enough now."

THAT didn't sound good. That was his mother's way of passing on the message that there was an emergency to tend to.

"Oh, right, see you later then." He told her, heading upstairs.

His father walked into the hall, watching Jake head upstairs.

"Isn't the door the other way?"

"He probably went to his room to get something first."

"Oh, all right then."

He then went into the kitchen, while upstairs, Jake turned into dragon form, and yelped. His wings weren't feeling to well either, but he went out the window to fly to the shop.

Divide

When Jake got to the shop, he landed on the roof, and morphed back to human form to head downstairs. Once down there, he found it very unsettling that the shop was dark. There weren't any lights on.

"Eye of the Dragon." he said quietly, his eyes changing form.

He looked around, now able to see better in the dark, to look for the light switch. He stopped though, when he saw someone sitting in a chair.

"I've been expecting you."

Jake growled. Victor...

"What do you want?"

"You're the red one, aren't you?"

Jake stepped back, surprised.

'So he does know...'

"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to feign ignorance.

"It makes sense really. This shop held the Orb of Malorphis before. It shouldn't have surprised me at all to find that the proprietor of this shop would have connections to magical beings. In fact, he's the Oriental dragon, isn't he?"

"..What do you want?"

Victor stood up, and laughed. His laugh had a machine-like quality to it. Jake saw why. He was in a metal mask.

"Come now, I know you aren't that naive. I want the orb back. Your human friend took it."

Jake had no idea how to respond. If he told him the Huntsclan had it, it might put Rose in danger. He didn't like the Huntsclan, but he didn't want to drag Rose into this.

"Forget it, you aren't going to try and toast the city again! Dragon up!"

Jake hadn't had to actually _say _that to transform in years, but he wanted to try to surprise Victor to get the drop on him. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work, as Victor ignored it, and dusted Jake with some sort of powder, making him cough and gag.

"Ugh, yo, that's NASTY!"

"Sleeping powder isn't meant to smell like roses.."

"Say wha?"

Jake then lost balance, and collapsed, blacking out. His form remained of a dragon, because while heavy injury may cause him to change back, things like this wouldn't. Victor stood over him, and laughed...

Divide

Jake groaned, opening his eyes. He yelped, when he saw Huntsgirl, not immediately remembering what happened.

"The heck? Yo, what the he-"

He stopped, when he saw that she was currently chained to a wall. He growled to himself, then realized he was too. They were facing each other, in some sort of...dungeon-like room. It reminded him of the place he first had to get the Orb of Malorphis from. The Huntsgirl struggled a bit.

"You're finally awake?" She asked.

"Hey, whatever that creep used was powerful stuff. I still feel too weak to move."

"That might be because he took blood from you..." She grumbled.

"He WHAT! AAUGH! GETITOUTGETITOUT!" Jake shrieked, legs flailing, panicked.

Huntsgirl blinked, and gave Jake an odd look.

"Are you some sort of needle phobe?" She asked.

"Yeah! Who isn't? And it's not in me still, is it?"

"Yes."

"GYAAAAHHH! OWWWOWWWOWWWWW! ...wait, no it isn't..."

Huntsgirl laughed a bit.

"Have to find something to get my mind off of whatever he's up to...can you get free?"

"Maybe, oh, and thanks for the wake-up call." He told her, in a tone he knew would normally annoy her.

"Just try already."

Jake grumbled, and tried, also a bit aggravated that Victor drug Rose into this, and the fact that he had to keep playing like he didn't know her...

...or did he?

"Ergh! Man, whatever these are, they ain't breaking. And the wall ain't either."

"That's because that's titanium reinforced with magical seals."

The two looked to a door, which Victor used to enter to check on them. They found it odd that he was followed in by an elderly man in a tuxedo. Yes, even more odd to them than the fact he was wearing what appeared to be full body armor made of metals, and a mask, as well as wearing his green raincoat again. He must either like that thing, or uses it to offset all the metal.

"That armor because of how bad we kicked your butt?" Jake asked to provoke, "Or is that your idea of a body cast, ya creep?"

"All the better to break you with physically..and you may call me Doom."

"How egomaniacal.." Huntsgirl muttered, rolling her eyes.

"For your information, it's what my family name translates to in the English language. Though I do also intend it for it's face value." Doom replied, walking over to Huntsgirl, and using his left hand to make her look into his eyes.

"Let her GO!" Jake yelled, trying to break loose.

Doom ignored Jake for the most part, but he let go of Huntsgirl and turned quickly when a very audible crack was heard.

"Victor, he-"

"I'm aware Boris. How he managed to work up that strength is yet unclear. Those seals should have kept his strength in human levels..."

Doom then walked over to Jake, and looked him over. The chains had cracked a bit, as had the wall, but nothing had given yet.

"However, my armor detects he's lost this boost, and no human strength will finish the job..."

Doom then looked at Jake, who was still angry, and laughed.

"I believe I understand now..."

"Understand what? Your spells have a flaw in them!" Huntsgirl yelled at Doom.

"No, there is no flaw...I just underestimated how much he cares for you..."

Huntsgirl's eyes were wide.

"What did you say?"

Doom laughed to himself, looking at Jake's very angry glare.

"I've been watching both of you since that night...the robot that stole the orb for me wasn't a simple weapon..."

Huntsgirl was watching Doom, wondering what he was up to.

"It was scanning the clan, to learn your identities, for later use if I needed it. Yours became quite useful..."

Doom then went to Huntsgirl, and pulled her mask off. Rose scowled, as Doom held the mask away. Part of the mask was a blonde hair tail in the back. So that explained the extra hair length...part of the disguise, to hide herself.

"See someone you know, dragon?" Doom then laughed after saying this, "Oh that's right, you knew all along, didn't you? That was why you didn't like my touching her..."

Doom then heading back to Jake.

"What other reason would you have, for defending a sworn enemy..." Doom spoke, lowering his voice so only he and Jake would hear it, "..Jake?"

Jake only got even more furious.

"You're really pushing it you tin-can-wearing-son-of-a-"

For Jake, cursing was practically a taboo. His mother was strict about him behaving properly, even when a dragon. But Doom...Victor, was just getting under his scales in ways that made Jake want to tear him apart. Messing with Rose, toying with his identity in front of her, being so arrogant. The only reason he stopped was because Doom had used a finger to push his jaw shut. It wasn't Doom doing that which caused the stop, but the fact he COULD...

"How're you-"

"The question should be, how long can you hold your form."

The reason for that statement became painfully clear when Doom slammed his fist into Jake's stomach. It hurt so badly his mind went blank. Except for his will to avoid turning human. He didn't want to give Doom that pleasure, especially in front of Rose. It was Rose mostly that he wanted to remain dragon for. Didn't stop him from yelling in pain.

"Aaaauggh!"

"Have you ANY idea how much that experiment meant to me?"

Doom threw his other fist at Jake's chest. Jake winced in pain, flailing. Rose couldn't look. Even a dragon, this was just horrific.

"That may have been my only chance. My one hope, to even know anything about my mother!"

Doom then blasted Jake with an electrical blast. This was plain out torture...

"For that, I'll make you suffer, and what better way, then to let life's irony do so for me..."

Doom then punched Jake in the side of the face. Jake groaned, knowing he couldn't take much more of this. Fate intervened for him.

"Sir.."

Doom's fist was still on Jake's face, and Doom sighed, both in anger and frustration.

"Yes Boris...what is it?" One could tell he was trying to be calm with Boris.

"I need to remind you that you're needed at the embassy within an hour."

Doom took his fist off of Jake, and slammed it into the wall next to him, leaving a fist-shaped impression in the wall, with dozens of fissures coming from it.

"I remember. To open discussion of trade with Latveria and the rest of the world...fine..."

Doom then strode out of the room, still seething, and Boris left with him, the door closing. That was when Jake lost his control of his form, and returned to human, and bearing the wounds inflicted by Doom. Rose's eyes went wide.

"Jake?"

Divide

You knew it'd happen. How many fics are there with Jake being revealed to Rose in some way or another? How many? And yes, counting the ones not at this sight.


	6. Til Death Do Us Part

Command and Conquer? DUDE! No offense, but Command and Conquer? Aiiieeee-yaaaiii-yaaiii...

Divide

Chapter 5: Until Death Do Us Part.

Moments ago, Jake had wondered, if he could tell Rose about this. About being the American Dragon, being her mortal enemy, with the blind hope that, maybe, it might fix everything. But now though, Jake had been revealed, and he didn't feel any sort of hope. Instead he was left with the hollow feeling of something in his life being shattered and scattered to the winds. It was all he could do to force a smile, albeit a guilty, weak smile, when trying to respond.

"Er...hi Rose?"

Divide

At the shop, Grampa and Fu Dog were returning, wondering where Jake was.

"Are you sure you left a message for Jake to tell him where we were?"

"Whoa, come on now, I wrote down everything like ya asked me to. Least it wasn't the Huntsclan spooking the trolls..." Fu Dog replied.

They both looked around to see if Jake was present.

"Hey, where's my note?" Fu Dog grumbled, "I left the darn thing right on the counter."

"I am afraid something may have happened to Jake. We must hurry and find him."

"We gonna need Ralph the Goblin again?"

Divide

"All this time, all those battles, it was you I was fighting?" Rose asked.

Jake managed to nod, then winced. Doom's punch to the face must've pulled a muscle or two in his neck.

"Yeah, but it's not like I chose to be. It's like your birthmark. I was born to it."

"And you knew it was me...? How?"

"The ski trip..."

"..When you first saved my life...that explains why you became so distant...but...why did you open up to me again later?"

"Your eyes...when we first met, I could tell you were special because of how beautiful your eyes were...even knowing you were the Huntsgirl, I still couldn't forget you."

Rose was surprised. Here she was, hearing straight from the dragon's mouth, that the only one who cared for Rose outside of her looks, happened to be what she'd been trying to slay for years now.

"Isn't this a kick in the head..." she muttered, "This is what Doom meant by letting life's irony causing misery..."

"You must hate me..."

"I...I don't know what to feel right now...for most of my life, I was brought up to hunt magical creatures, especially dragons. Yet...here I am, and all this time, I'd been in love with one..."

"That's how I felt when I found out about you when I found out..."

"But you still saved me."

"Huntsgirl or not, you were still Rose! I couldn't just ignore that."

Rose was silent. She watched Jake struggle on the chains, gritting his teeth. Considering what he'd just been through, she doubted he was in any condition to get loose...

Divide

Fu Dog wished he had a barf bag. Riding on Grampa in a flight over the city wasn't exactly thrilling for him, but he had to hold the bag of potions. Come to think of it, it was a bag...

"Fu Dog, don't even THINK about it!"

The sky was dark, with black clouds over the city. Rain was coming soon, and they still didn't know where to find Jake. They couldn't get hold of Ralph, so there wasn't going to be any super-sniffing for locating him, and they had no time to use a magic potion to try to find him, so they had to do it the old fashioned way. They flew over the embassy building, trying to find signs of Jake. Down below them was an outdoor event of grand proportions, with hundreds if not thousands of people gathered to attend, many being the media.

"Hey, what's that about?" Fu Dog asked.

"We haven't the time to-"

Grampa would have continued, but a very familiar voice was heard over the crowd, thanks to the 'magic' of loudspeakers. Grampa growled hearing it. He knew what happened to Jake now...the Huntsclan would've set an ambush in the shop for all of them. This...was someone much more dangerous, someone who'd said they'd gladly forfeit the lives of every person in the city, for just one chance...

"I am aware that rain is coming, so I will make this brief. To all nations of the world, my homeland has long remained in the times of the Dark Ages. Hiding in fear, in terror, of what they did not understand. Lashing out upon those in their borders that ran contrary to their ways, their beliefs, their way of life. It is time now, for my land to grasp hopelessly in the dark no more! It is time, for a new dawn to shine upon not just Latveria, but upon all lands, with the unification of Latveria into the world's stage! With the coming of this dawn, the light of hope and progress will shine upon the land, and perhaps a light to shine upon the entire world, for hopes of a day, when mankind will no longer persecute it's own, no longer detest what it doesn't understand. For one day, for all countries to be truly united!"

"Victor..." Grampa muttered, "He has Jake."

Grampa was facing down at Doom, eyes narrowed. Fu Dog knew what he was planning.

"Whoa, don't even think it! We can't go down there! You do and everything magical's gonna be revealed to everyone in the world!"

"If you have a better idea on how to find my grandson, then tell me!"

Divide

There had been silence between Jake and Rose, for what felt like hours to them. Rose had been reflecting back upon her memories of Jake. The times they shared, or tried to, both as plain, ordinary teenagers. They had nearly shared a kiss many times, yet always held apart by their destinies, their other lives. Rose wondered, if the taunts, the hit-on lines, that Jake had used when fighting her as Huntsgirl...if they were all only that...

Divide

Fu Dog was currently hiding behind the potions bag. He'd gotten through to Grampa, but Grampa wasn't the least bit happy about it. The crowd below was dispersing, the event over, the people returning to their lives in the city. Doom, however, remained, as the others left. He had said something to the other ambassadors. What wasn't heard. Soon, however, only Doom remained outside. A crack of thunder was heard in the distance, and Grampa could wait no longer, diving at Doom, landing behind him, as Doom was facing the building.

"Where is my grandson!"

Doom only laughed.

"Do you know, the inscription of the Statue?"

"There'll be no games Victor, where is he?"

Doom turn to face Grampa, Fu Dog hiding behind Grampa, seeing why Doom was intimidating.

"'Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, yearning to be free, as I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door.' Those are the words Liberty holds in her arm, as she stands in silent vigil. Your grandson is going to the other side of that door soon enough. I have planned for emotional pain for the three of you, as well as physical."

"Why you-"

Grampa swung down at Doom with his right claw, more than intent on inflicting serious harm, not expecting Doom to catch his claw, and hold it at bay with his left hand. Doom grunted however.

"Not bad. That's more than I expected when I built this armor's physical boosters. But still weak."

Doom then backhanded Grampa back, knocking him down onto Fu Dog.

"Omph! Watch it will ya?" Fu Dog shouted.

"Hmph! If you still seek me, you will find me in the city. It shouldn't be hard.."

Doom then strode off into the night, Grampa and Fu Dog recovering.

"We have to find out where Jake is from that jerk!" Fu Dog said, getting up.

"He already told us..." Grampa stated.

Divide

Rose came out of her memories, when she heard Jake groaning.

"Jake!"

"Ugh...Rose? I want to...apologize..."

"For what?"

"For the...lumps and bruises I caused...the things I said...and for being the American Dragon..."

"..Jake, there's nothing to forgive. It's what you had to do. Like I had to be part of the Huntsclan..."

"...thanks Rose...ugh..."

Jake's head then slumped forward, and his muscles went slack.

"Jake? Jake! JAKE!"

Divide

I think I don't have to say anything, but... Is Jake dead? Will Grampa find them? What of Doom?


	7. Blood and Thunder

1I must say I am quite impressed with this fic. Nearly 500 hits now total since I started it about a week ago, and that's enough to tell me that, even if you say nothing, there are still many who enjoy the fic. Yay! I personally feel that, although I am aware I have committed a sin in the eyes of the devout Doom devotees, I am actually content with how I have portrayed Doom, and feel it is well within the parameters of how Doom would act, if this series of events occurred. I am aware of Dr. Doom's bitter hatred of Reed Richards, and I feel that his hatred is well represented here towards those he feels wronged his experiment. And I am aware of Doom's hatred of Ben Grimm, for seriously injuring Doom when he tried to personally attack the Fantastic Four in their own home, and feel this is also represented well in Doom's animosity towards Jake for the scar. I have no regret, as the final acts of this story are being read. My only regrets, however, are in borrowing certain titles and phrases for use in chapter titles.

Divide

Chapter 6: Blood and Thunder

"Do you mind telling me where we're going?" Fu Dog asked.

"Victor told us where Jake is in his statement about the statue!"

That would explain why Gramps was flying over the water, but he wasn't heading towards the Statue of Liberty...

"Uh, Gramps? Your eye sight going or something? The statue's that way!" He told him, pointing.

"That isn't where Jake is. Victor prides himself on his intelligence. The statue would be too obvious for his tastes!"

Now Fu Dog was confused.

"But you said he-"

"The Golden Door once referred to Ellis Island. Do you remember? When we came to America? We had traveled through Europe to speak to the Dragon Council beforehand."

NOW Fu Dog remembered. That had been a long time ago though, and Ellis Island's buildings were mostly closed off to tourists now. It made sense now.

"So you think Victor's got Jake in one of the buildings there?"

Thunder began to rumble, quite loudly now.

"I know so. Victor's weakness is his arrogance. He was mocking us when he gave us that clue..."

"How do you know so much about this guy?"

"Because the Dragon Council has known about his family long before he was born."

Divide

Rose was determined to get loose now. She was pulling hard at the chains, having gotten her legs up far enough to be in a squatting position on the wall, the taut chains the only thing aside from her boot traction allowing her to do this, and if she lost either, she'd fall off, but if it was the chains, it'd be worth it.

"Come...on!"

She didn't know if Jake was dead or unconscious, but if it was the latter, Jake wouldn't have too long before the former set in if he wasn't attended to.

"Come ON!"

The shackles were digging into her wrists with this. Her Huntsclan outfit was helping keep it from cutting her wrists, which was one of the few things Rose had to be thankful for from the Huntsclan. The important one was the training, which she'd been given to kill dragons, and here she was trying to use it to help a dragon. The irony today was so thick you COULDN'T cut it with a knife. Oh, maybe a chainsaw, but even that's a bit of a stretch...

"COME ON!"

Rose thought she could feel the shackles beginning to give. However, she made the mistake of relaxing, which caused her to slide back down to hanging like Jake was. If it weren't for digging her boots into the wall, she'd have dislocated both shoulders, but even with that softening the jolt it hurt.

"Damn it..."

Divide

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what'da mean you guys knew about him already?" Fu Dog asked.

Grampa was landing on the island, no one around except them, and also Jake and Rose, though they knew only of Jake.

"There is no time to explain. Jake is in serious danger!"

Grampa then rushed around looking for a likely place for Jake to be, but none of the buildings seemed very suitable save for the main building.

"That must be it."

"You will not pass."

The two were stunned, as they saw what appeared to be Doom walk out of the building they were heading to.

"Yo, how'd you beat us here?" Fu Dog demanded.

Then the cloaked figure laughed, with a machine-like laugh. Grampa and Fu Dog were confused, even when the figure removed the cold metal mask, reveal a cooler still skull like form made of metal and wire, a machine, made in the guise of man, as it tossed the mask aside, the hood falling back to show the rest of the head.

"What _are _you?" Grampa asked, shocked.

"I am a machination of destruction." The robot responded, it's voice a mechanical replication of Victor's, "A man-made Grim Reaper. Your Grim Reaper."

Divide

Meanwhile...

Rose was trying again to pull the chains apart. She knew she had to this time. She grunted, the chains not wanting to give.

"Ergh!"

They were starting to give again. She kept pulling, ignoring the pain in her wrists.

"Al..most..there!"

They finally gave out, tearing loose from the wood that was holding them. Doom must not have thought Rose could get loose from that to use it. She fell to the ground hard, and groaned.

"Owww..."

She then got to her knees, chains still on her wrists, and reached for her pouch. It was still there, so Doom must not have believed she'd get loose. She took out a kit in the pouch, heading over to Jake, and opened the kit, containing several lock-pick tools.

"Dragon or not, you didn't deserve this. Besides that, I love you, and I am NOT going to lose you to some twisted maniac."

She felt for the locks on Jake's chains, and started working on them when she found them.

"Be it Doom, or my uncle. Though uncle might just be misguided and not full blown insane, but the intent is still there...and why am I even talking when you can't hear me?"

She thought for a minute Jake might be dead, but she tried to force it out of her mind. It was all she could do to resist listening for a heartbeat. While it'd make sense to listen for one, she also knew if he was alive, every second counted, so she was going to assume he was alive. Unless he was dead...

"Damnit, be alive Jake..."

She ended up putting her ear on his chest to listen anyway. Training be danged, she had to know to ease her mind in any way. She couldn't hear anything.

"No, you can't be dead!"

Then she heard it. It was weak, but he DID have a heartbeat. She sighed in relief, and hastily worked on the locks. She soon had Jake resting on her shoulder, holding him there, and was bolting for and out the door...

Divide

"Oooh, Grim Reaper, little thick on the melodrama tin-man!" Fu Dog taunted in reply to the robot's words.

He didn't laugh long. Grampa could barely keep up with the robot's jet-powered charge at Fu Dog, even being a dragon. The robot was like a blur in motion during that. Grampa didn't like this one bit, and Fu Dog was squirming, with his neck in the grip of that soulless creation.

"Erk! Gahh! What'sa matter? No sense of humor?"

To the surprise of the two, the robot replied as though it DID have a soul, and were much alive.

"There's a difference between humor and insult. And I resent being called a tin-man."

The robot then threw Fu Dog like a shot-put into one of the buildings, leaving a very large impact crater in the brick, which Fu Dog fell out from. Since Fu Dog's bulk was also magical, it did act like a shock absorber/body armor, but that didn't mean Fu Dog liked being thrown and slammed into a wall.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning..."

The robot, or more accurately, a Doombot, turned to face Grampa, who had taken a fighting pose, a unique one, that fit his dragon body.

"Nothing to say dragon? I can tell you're curious..."

"If you'll allow me to, I will. How is it a machine acts like a man?"

The Doombot laughed, a machine sound in the voice.

"Perhaps it's magic, perhaps science. Perhaps both. There's only one way to learn for certain."

"And what is that?" Grampa asked, tensing up.

"Defeat me!"

Thunder clapped over the city, in a deafening boom, calling upon a torrential rain, washing over everything below, including the two fighters. Grampa saw the Doombot jet at him, and barely managed to catch a high-power right punch from it, trying to lash back with his tail. The Doombot blocked this with it's left arm, then twisted it's arm to grab the tail, and deliver a powerful electrical shock into Grampa.

"AAAAUGGGHHH!"

It let go, leaving Grampa gasping for air, feeling weak. The Doombot's left arm was sparking briefly, but it cut off the electrical flow shortly, to avoid an electrical backlash due to the rain. It then picked Grampa up by the neck with it's left hand, chuckling to itself, before it grabbed his head with it's right hand, in a tight grip, squeezing. Grampa groaned, feeling like his head was in a vice. The Doombot stopped however...

"Ergh..."

It then dropped Grampa, who looked at the machine, confused as to why it stopped. The Doombot gave no reason for stopping, but simply looked at him, with it's artificial, human-like eyes. Those eyes looked like they were confused and lost. The Doombot then recovered from this state, and walked over to where it had thrown it's mask, and picked it up, putting it on. Grampa got to his hind legs, still wondering what was going on. Rose then came out of the building, carrying Jake. Grampa and the Doombot looked to her, and she was looking to the robot.

"Doom! ...no...you're the thing that attacked the Huntsclan..."

"I don't understand."

Grampa was very confused now, but he knew the following. That the girl was Rose, who Jake had been talking about for a long time. That she was also dressed in Huntsclan clothes and spoke of them. That the Doombot was apparently reluctant to...

"You CAN'T kill us, can you?"

It then looked to Grampa.

"Doom has ordered me to kill all of you if I need to, but there is something holding me back...It isn't programming, nor is it a lack of ability. I don't know why I can't make myself kill you, but I will return to Doom to find out what it is, and when I do, I will overcome it, and I will kill you."

The Doombot then flew up into the night sky using the jets in it's body, and took off for the city, leaving them in the rain to sort things out.

"As for you, get away from my grandson!"

Rose looked to him. He knew she was part of the Huntsclan. But considering, how could he NOT know by now.

"I'm trying to help him!"

"Then stand aside."

Grampa flew over to Fu Dog to get the potion bag, before flying back to Jake, who Rose had put down upon request. The potions were all intact thanks to Fu Dog's fur and hide, and he took out a healing potion, pouring it into Jake's mouth, and turn to human form to tilt Jake's head back to get him to drink it while unconscious. For what felt like forever, there was no reaction.

"No. No! NO! He is NOT dead! He can't be!"

Grampa looked to Rose, and was in thought. His attention was diverted, with Jake groaning. They looked to Jake, to see much of the wounds healing rapidly. The potion was working, and Rose was relieved.

"Thank God..."

"Now, I want an explanation..." Grampa told her.

"Guys?"

They both looked to Jake, who was awake.

"Can we...ow...talk at the shop...? I feel like a fish..."

Divide

The four of them were now back at the shop, drying off from the rain, resting from what they'd been through, and giving Jake time to recuperate. Somehow Trixie and Spud had gotten wind of a problem and had come over as well. Jake was currently in the back, Fu Dog was watching him, and the others were in the front, with a Closed sign on the front door, and the shades drawn. Rose had explained to the others what had happened in that dungeon, and the fact that even if she was part of the Huntsclan, she had to draw the line now.

"I hate being part of the Huntsclan. I...I don't like being some kind of murderer! And tonight...tonight's the last straw! I don't care if they DON'T allow parts of the Huntsclan to quit, I didn't ask for this, and I'd rather just put it behind me!"

"I see...You do sound sincere, so I believe you are trustworthy." Grampa noted.

"So, you two knew as well?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. In fact, we knew before Jakie did! Even Spud caught onto it, but when we told Jake, he was like 'No, no way, coincidence, not happening'. I dunno what exactly happened during that ski trip between you two, but he had to see for himself to even think of it."

"Considering, I can understand why..." Rose said to herself.

"Okay, so like, you guys said there was a killer robot thing trying to kill ya, so, like what happened there?"

"That I don't understand myself." Grampa told Spud, "It's as if...hmmm..."

"Like what?" Trixie asked.

"I think perhaps whatever method Victor used to give that machine human-like qualities worked too well. It was as though it had a conscience."

"Whoa, now, hold on. You tellin' me that robot didn't kill you because it FELT BAD trying to?" Trixie asked, surprised she was hearing this.

"I do not know, but I am not knowledgeable of machines and how they work. That is the only reason I can think of." he stated, sipping some tea.

Fu Dog came in, and Rose was trying to sort out everything that had happened.

"How's Jake doing? He still like some kinda mutant raisin?" Spud asked.

"Comments aside, he's doing okay. He's sleeping it off. Now do you mind telling me how exactly the Dragon Council knew about this looney?"

Grampa sighed, and set his tea down. He had to say it sometime.

"The Dragon Council came to know of Victor's family long before I was even old enough to know I myself was a dragon. Victor's ancestors were much like Jake's."

"You mean they're dragons too?" Rose asked.

"No, unlike dragons, they were human. What made them alike was that they too could tap into magical energies. Not even the highest members of the Dragon Council are certain as to how this came to pass, but for centuries now, they have been keeping track of his linage to see where it would go, and to possibly keep them from revealing the magical world to other humans. His family descended into a way of living similar to that of gypsies, using their magic to remain in tune with nature and to aid in their lives." Grampa told them sipping his tea, before putting it back, "However, problems arose..."

"Like what?" Fu Dog asked.

"Like the prejudice we heard him speak out against at the embassy earlier tonight. The other people of his country came to fear and hate them for their use of magic, despite the Dragon Council's efforts to keep their use of it hidden to non-magical humans. It reached it's peak before Jake was born..."

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"According to the Dragon Council, the country's king had soldiers attack the gypsies. Victor had only been born that year, and he and his parents were the last of magical humans from assaults like these. Victor's mother tried to hold the soldiers off, but ultimately resorted to making a pact with a malevolent entity for the power she needed to fend them off. However, she was cheated, not having been given the control. In using that power, she unwillingly took the lives of many children in the kingdom..."

"Dang, that's just nasty!" Trixie spoke up.

"Yes, and when she tried to give that power up because of that, she was killed. We know nothing of what the pact itself was for. It wasn't long after that when Victor's father was asked by a noble to cure the noble's wife of illness. However, even for the Dragon Council, this would be a lost cause, and Victor's father knew this, trying to tell this to the noble. The noble would not listen to this, and when the woman died, he accused Victor's father of murder, refusing to believe he could do nothing. It was after this the council lost track of Victor, until recently, when scientific achievements of his were noticed by the professors of Empire University."

"That was about two weeks ago." Rose added, "He had impressed them by constructing a complete mapping of the human brain, and how each part relates to the mind. There was a lot of talk about it at the campus. I heard one professor say it might lead the way to new methods of psychology, as well as possibly lead to more human artificial intelligence."

"Wow, you ARE an over-achiever." Trixie commented.

"That wasn't why they invited him though." Rose continued, though she felt a little proud of the statement, "The reason I heard of was because of his vast knowledge in all fields of science, and that he'd make major breakthroughs in other fields as well. There was a rumor he had been taking advantage of Latveria currently not being noticed by the Geneva Convention, and had near perfected genetic sciences, and a new method of cloning."

"I take it back. Victor's the over-achiever."

"Yes, well, I inquired with the council about Victor days ago, when I read about his arrival in the city in the paper. His name seemed familiar."

"Yeah, Victor's kind of a funny name ya know" said Spud.

"Not that!" Grampa scolded, "It was because his last name translated to 'Doom' from Hungarian."

"Oh."

They then heard a door slam in the back.

"Jake?" Rose asked, heading back there. "He's gone!"

Divide

Where's Jake going? What will happen now? One last act remains, before the curtain falls.


	8. Legacy

1600 hits have passed now. It's been a harsh time for Jake and the others, and Victor still remains as a threat. Questions that remain unanswered, and a score to be settled. It's time now, for the final act, the last conflict.

Divide

Final Chapter: Legacy

"Jake!" "Jake my man?" "Where are you?"

Grampa and the others had gone out the back door to look for Jake, calling for him, with no answer.

"Do you think he..?" Rose started.

"He must have. I can't believe Jake would be this foolish!" Grampa responded.

"Think he what? Gone to get a soft drink?" Spud asked.

"No dummy, he's gone to find this Victor guy!" Trixie scolded.

Divide

Just as they figured, Jake had flown off in dragon form to find him. He was still pretty badly injured from Doom's fists, but he wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. The rain was starting to let up a bit, which was good, but it was still dark and dreary out, and Jake was getting no less wet. He was getting pretty fed up with it.

"Stupid rain.."

It was about then he noticed a mess of corporate skyscrapers ahead. He thought for a moment, before landing on one of them, noticing the air intake vents and a doorway into the building.

"Now where is he..."

"You can't be in any condition to seriously attempt to fight me."

Jake spun around, to face Doom, who was still in his metal armor, but now left the raincoat open, the armor all over his body. How the hood remained up so easily was a mystery. He was leaning on one of the vents, arms crossed, looking at Jake.

"Though I am curious as to how you knew where to look."

"Simple. What better place for a big-headed egomaniac than on top of a skyscraper?" Jake retorted.

Doom simply glared, and stood straight, turning to fully face Jake.

"Why is it you choose to live here?"

"Huh?"

"Why is it that dragons and the rest of magical kind choose to reside in this wasteland of humanity?"

"It's a free country, G."

Doom glared for the use of slang.

"You're dodging the question...tell me, truthfully, why it is that you live here, in this sea of human revulsion."

"Because it's my home, and I protect the other magic folk here." Jake told him, taking fighting pose.

"Humanity will revile you, hunt you down if they become aware of you, for no simpler reason than because they can."

"Not all humans are worth dissing on. There's good people here too."

"When the day comes that humanity has hunted your species, your family...your legacy into extinction, maybe then you will understand me. Understand what I'm saying now..." Doom told Jake, as the rain let up to a light drizzle.

There was silence between them, as they stood there, staring into each other's souls. Jake then took the attack, pouncing at Doom, who caught Jake's head with both hands, and slammed the back of Jake's skull into the vent. A loud metallic echo shook through the vent, Jake's head denting the vent deeply. Jake then brought both feet up, and kicked at Doom's chest, throwing him back and off. Jake got to his feet, and rushed at Doom, slashing with his right claw. Doom's chest armor was damaged from the strike, as Doom retaliated with a right fist to Jake's stomach, making him double over. Doom then grabbed Jake's right wrist, and slammed his hand up at Jake's underarm, with a loud crack. He'd dislocated Jake's right arm, then let his hand slide forward, and used his right elbow to slam into the base of Jake's spine, knocking Jake onto the ground front first. Doom laughed, and leaped away from Jake, landing about 10 feet away, as Jake got up, grunting, and forced his arm back into the socket, roaring in pain.

"Yo, that really hurt!"

"Not as much as the pain I've endured!"

Doom then charged at Jake, slamming his right shoulder into Jake's torso. Jake groaned, and grabbed Doom, spinning back, to fling Doom at the door into the building. Doom crashed through the door, which shattered and splintered, crashing down a flight of stairs inside the building. Jake leapt at the door to try and land on Doom within, only to be thrown back from the door by an electrical blast from Doom's gauntlets, landing on his back.

"Ergh!"

Doom then came charging out of the door after Jake, leaping at him with his right fist back and ready. Jake threw both of his feet up to catch Doom and flip him back over him, landing near the edge of the roof with a thud. Jake got to his feet, as did Doom, and they charged at each other. Both of them fought tooth and nail, Jake scratching Doom's mask, Doom's fist slamming into Jake's chest. Doom then kneed Jake in the stomach, to which Jake responded by grabbing Doom's head, and slamming his face into the ground. The mask cracked and shattered from the attack, and Jake backed off, thinking Doom would be out for the count. He was wrong, as Doom struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his nose off with his left hand, before flinging the same hand down at the ground to get the excess blood off of it. He then glared at Jake, who could see minor burn scars on the sides of his head where the mask would end, and a long, thin scar on his cheek.

"Not such a pretty boy now, huh?" Jake taunted.

"You inflicted this scar on me..." Doom stated, getting back into a fighting stance, "and I won't treat it, remove it, until the wound to my pride is avenged!"

Doom then fired at Jake with a lightning blast, throwing Jake down the same stairwell as before, with a crash. Jake yelped, among the damaged parts his tail.

"Geez! Watch the tail!"

Doom leapt down after Jake, putting his fist into Jake's jaw. Jake roared back, spitting a small burst of fire point blank at Doom, who shielded his face from the flames with his arms. This gave Jake the diversion needed to grab Doom, and throw him down the next flight of stairs, smashing through into an office floor, as well as tripping a silent alarm for the security guards to respond to. Jake followed Doom into the office area, where Doom ambushed him, throwing a desk at the dragon. Jake yelped, and leapt up, hovering, to avoid the desk as it smashed on the door-frame, a large chunk of it ripping through the door. Doom then ran at Jake, shoulder first, for another tackle, which sent them both flying through the door, Jake crashing down on what was left of the desk, Doom landing on top of him, punching at his head. Jake struggled against the blows, before catching one of Doom's punches, and using the arm to fling Doom into the stairs leading up, Doom grunting from the impact. As he got up, Jake grabbed him, and threw him back into the office, Doom sliding on the floor a bit, before stopping on his back.

"Ha! You're not so bad!"

Jake's ears then perked up, hearing security guards running up the stairs for them.

"Awww man..."

Jake ran into the office to try to get away from the guards, only for Doom to tackle him by surprise, sending both of them smashing through a large plate glass window, the shards of glass scattering everywhere around them as they fell. The guards were left mystified at the mess, before heading to the window to look, unable to truly see due to the darkness. Doom and Jake were falling fast down towards an above ground, multi-level parking lot. Jake got loose from Doom, and started to hover in place.

"See ya next fall...chump? Wha?"

Jake was shocked, seeing the fact that Doom's armor had jets in the boots, to stop his fall as well.

"You can fly?" Jake yelped.

"And much more!" Doom shouted, crashing into Jake hard.

Jake fell back from the impact, being knocked out of flight, and crashing onto the roof of the parking tower. It hurt badly, but it wasn't enough to keep Jake from fighting. He looked up to snarl at Doom, but...

"Eep..."

His ears drooped, as he saw Doom charging up a very large electrical orb, planning to fire down at Jake. Jake yelped, diving out of the way, as a powerful beam of lightning-like energy ripped down from Doom, and tore through the roof, and several floors as well. The roof crumbled, and Jake could only yell as he fell into the building. Doom laughed to himself, before flying down after Jake. He flew down to the ground floor, where there was no sign of Jake.

"I know I didn't incinerate him..."

Doom then flew up through the floors, looking for Jake, before Jake pounced on him from behind on the 15th level, sending them both at some cars in the building, apparently belonging to some of the security guards in the building. Doom yelled out when Jake landed on his back, Doom landing hard. Jake kicked at the back of Doom's head, slamming his face into the concrete. Doom felt his nose, getting blood, and yelled in rage, flipping over, and blasting Jake off of himself. Jake went sailing, crashing down on a red car, wrecking it and setting off the car alarm. Jake groaned as Doom approached, nose bleeding profusely, gauntlets sparking. He then grabbed Jake's tail, dragging him off of the car, to swing him into the side of a white van, smashing the side of it up, then slamming Jake into the side of a blue convertible. The cars, and Jake, were a total mess, and Jake was bleeding badly.

"Feh, such a waste of a dragon..." Doom muttered, letting go of the limp tail.

Doom turned away from Jake, putting his hood back, scowling. He was unaware of Jake's tail twitching slightly, before Jake was getting up, weak, but furious.

"Bah, I spared that fool having to learn the pain of prejudice the hard way."

Doom then half gasped, half gagged, as Jake grabbed his neck from behind with both hands.

"Sorry doc, I like learning the hard way!"

Jake then threw Doom back into one of the thin walls between them and thin air, the impact sending numerous cracks in the wall, and denting it. Doom staggered a bit, dazed from the attack, before he cleared his head, and yelled, intending to blast Jake with a lightning blast.

"No you don't!"

Jake spit out a burst of flames at Doom's face, making him back up to the wall, covering his face.

"Gaaah! How dare you even **_attempt _**to scar me again!"

Jake could see that for the most part he missed Doom's face, but Doom was still angered. Jake then reared back on his tail, and sprang forward with both feet, slamming Doom into the wall again, cracking it further, making it weak, and knocking the wind out of Doom, the torso armor indented from the blow. Jake fell back from the attack, and Doom was on his knees, right hand on his chest, catching his breathe. His armor was sparking, and his boots had an electrical fire's smoke coming from them.

"Insolent beast...You will **_see, _**Jake... One day, you'll feel the sting of being judged, and treated as nothing more than a dog...and you'll see with your own eyes, as you're left as the last of a legacy, with no generation to pass the torch to..."

"Yeah? Maybe Victor, but at least I won't take it out on the world..."

Jake then slammed his shoulder into Doom, smashing him through the wall. Jake used his tail as a balance to keep himself from falling through, but Doom had no such aid...

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEE!"

Doom's voice seemed to echo on forever to Jake, as he watched and saw Doom plummet into the darkness. Jake didn't know why the street lights weren't on, and frankly, he didn't care, as he fell to his knees, sighing in relief.

"Man...finally...I need...sleep..."

Jake then reverted to human form, and slumped forward, falling over the edge of the wall...

Until a hand reached from the darkness, and caught him. Rose was holding onto Grampa, who was flying near the broken wall.

"I got him! Jake!"

"Uuuhhh? Rose?"

"Jake, are you all right?"

"Need sleep...and traction..." Jake muttered, passing out.

"Yep, he'll be all right." Rose told Grampa.

"Then let's get him back to the shop. Hopefully I can still find it with all the power in the city out..."

Divide

Jake woke up slowly, hearing a distant voice. Rose's.

"Jake?...Jake?"

"Owwww..."

"You look like hell..."

"This from you Rose?" he asked. He wasn't hurt enough to lose his sense of humor.

"We both had our secrets..." she told him, before kissing him.

He closed his eyes, and held the kiss, as did Rose. That is, until Grampa cleared his throat, to get their attention.

"I, er, ah, well..." Rose started.

"I know what it was, and I do not have any problem with you two being in love, but please wait until Jake is not on my couch!"

"Aww...Grampa..." Jake moaned.

"Oh very well..."

Grampa then went about lighting more candles in the shop. It was mid-day, and the power still hadn't returned. The storm last night had the power companies in a panic. Grampa finished, and looked to the two, Rose kissing Jake again, and had a soft smile, as he went into the back...

The End...?

Divide

Boris watched out of the port hole in the ship, as the waves ebbed and flowed in the New York Harbor, before sighing, and turning back towards the rest of the cabin, to face someone in a chair.

"I'm sorry about the failure of your experiment.."

There was only silence from the figure in the chair, obscured in shadows.

"And your armor was destroyed in the battle. Even with your genius, that must take some time to fix..."

"Tsk...true enough Boris, true enough..."

Victor leaned forward from his seat. He had some bandages on his chest and torso, as well as his arms. He appears to have few to no broken bones, however, aside from his nose, which had some bandage pads on it for it to heal properly.

"But you do know what they say..."

Victor then reached to the table, to take something off of it. He held it up into the light, and it shined a thick, translucent red. It's shadow shined red as well, light rippling through it. It looked like blood...

"If you don't leave empty handed, then it isn't a total loss..."

Victor then laughed...

The End


End file.
